"Right to know! Do you understand anything! This is about this mission!"
"I just happened to walk to the door and heard a voice, just happened to hear a voice and could see some through the door crack, just happened to see some and couldn't even call anyone while the situation was still very critical. I just happened to save someone, and now the mission is completed."
"Are all these just coincidences? Are they coincidences?"
"Would you like to explain to me what a coincidence is?!"
"Ah! System! You explain this!"
"What the heck do you call a coincidence!"
"This is a coincidence." The system had no intention of admitting it at all, and it seemed to stubbornly resist as it said: "The system reiterates once more that the system cannot interfere with social reality other than you."
"However, the system possesses autonomous judgment power regarding ordinary missions!"
"Among your three missions, the long-term mission is a fixed growth mission. The character mission is a special personal mission."
"Both of these missions belong to tasks with fixed judgment methods, except for the ordinary mission which is a real-time system judgment task."
"That is, the system can judge whether the mission is completed, how well it is done, and what rewards to issue based on reality."
"If you are unwilling, the system will not force you to go. Of course, for an attitude of standing by and watching someone die like yours, the system might also correspondingly lower the rewards and mission evaluation."
"But you went, and for your behavior of disregarding personal reputation and gains and losses, stepping forward, and putting saving people first."
"The system is still very happy, so it gives you such a reward!"
"The system absolutely has no behavior or ability to treat other people's lives as a script."
"The above is the system's explanation for this mission."
"Believe it or not!"
Hearing this, Li Pu felt as if he really had no way to refute it.
"Hmph, I'll tentatively believe you this time." Li Pu said with a cold snort: "I've read quite a few system webnovels, when it comes to systems, I understand them very well!"
"Now explain to me what a branch mission custom reward is."
"It's just the literal meaning." The system explained: "You can choose a random reward or choose a custom reward. For example, if you have a special item you really want, you can get it through the custom reward method."
"And the custom reward also needs to match the mission difficulty, though compared to the original acquisition difficulty, it can be slightly reduced since something always has to be paid after all."
"Wanting to use one hundred Yahaha to exchange for dead loyalty—such a thing is impossible, oh."
Chapter 7: Lord Otto Is Still Very Green
"He lied, and did not tell the truth on certain issues."
That angel in white no longer wore that gentle and cultivated smile from before. In its place was coldness, an even more formulaic and one might even say mechanical aloofness.
Her voice lacked the slightest fluctuation or change, completely different from how she was in front of Li Pu just moments ago.
Before her stood a young man, young and blond. Unlike the mechanical aloofness on the face of the angel in white, his face still carried some degree of smile. Only, that smile leaked a trace of hair-raising cruelty. He cradled a book in his hand, looking as if he were reading yet not placing much of his mind on the pages in his hand.
"Is that so?" His tone was flat, so flat it seemed as though he hadn't placed his mind on this conversation at all as he said: "How so?"
"Why did he only lie on some issues?"
"His purpose in leaving the teaching building was not simply to go to the cafeteria to eat, that was a lie." The angel in white stated her judgment: "He concealed his true intent and did not tell me."
"Yet his running into the locker room to save someone was purely an accident, although it looks unbelievable and overly coincidental."
"From my personal judgment, this person did not lie about this matter. He did not accidentally see it while peeping at girls."
"The place where the motive was impure was what he was doing upon leaving the teaching building, but I think this doesn't need excessive focus."
The angel in white said: "He is just an ordinary person, perhaps with some small ambitions, but he will not pose any threat to Schicksal."
"Lord Overseer."
"That's not necessarily the case." The young man addressed as the Overseer closed the book in his hand and said: "When there are too many coincidences, there are no coincidences left."
"I have looked at this person's resume, and the earliest record concerning him is from three years ago."
"He was reissuing his national ID card on Lishui Street."
"There were no previous records." The young man stood up and said: "In the three years, aside from looking for work, he had no other accomplishments, yet he was rejected every single time."
"After encountering Raiden Mei, he accidentally found Raiden Mei's wallet and documents and returned them."
"Raiden Mei used her own connections to introduce him and push him into St. Freya."
"Failing to find a job even once in three years, he coincidentally met Kiana upon running into Raiden Mei." The man said meaningfully: "And today, he so coincidently saved another's life."
"This time's events will inevitably make his name known throughout St. Freya Academy."
"He seems as though he was intentionally arranged here by an invisible hand, strengthening his connection to this place."
"However, according to the investigation." The angel in white seemed to refute the man's words, saying: "His interpersonal relationships are very simple, with no suspicious persons worthy of note."
"He himself is the suspicious person." The young man said: "This person looks quite righteous and responsible."
"Yet in three years he accomplished nothing, nor does he have any close relationships."
"This cannot help but make one feel curious."
"I think I need to go meet this person."
Li Pu did not yet know who was coming to see him. Exiting the system interface left him somewhat bored, as the things given by the mission were temporarily of no immediate use.
Mission reward customization—an exclusive prop restricted only to branch missions.
At the same time, this branch mission needed to be unlocked via lottery and relied on probability.
This branch mission, which relied on a certain probability to unlock via a lottery, made the reward this time seem a bit tasteless. It looked like there was a pathway to directly obtain what he wanted, but this pathway still required a probability to unlock.
That was practically saying the item was placed right in front of you, but you still had to acquire it through a lottery.
The only strong point was at least knowing that the item you could get was the one you wanted and needed.
Although it was much better than purely relying on luck, it wasn't much stronger either.
"Speaking of which, what kind of person am I meeting this time?" Li Pu thought about the person he was asked to wait here to see. To be honest, there weren't very many named characters in Honkai Impact 3rd who could be directly operated for combat.
The staffing of personnel across different functional institutions within St. Freya Academy also hadn't been given in a detailed roster.
Playing the game was all about the characters themselves and the exhilarating feel, and the specific background and plot hadn't been given enough attention.
The only two people Li Pu could think of who were in the management tier and whom he hadn't seen yet were probably left with just these.
One was Aunt Himeko, and the other was...
Green-topped Otto?! Li Pu instantly widened his eyes as he stared at the person who walked in directly without knocking, pushing the door open.
Green-topped Otto! Yes, that was the man whose green hat could pile up from the Earth's surface to the ionosphere, the man who had been sent so many "Be Strong" cards they could wrap around the Earth three times.
The man who was one of the most famous memes in Honkai 3.
Otto Apocalypse!
Li Pu never imagined that he was actually the person he needed to see.
"You seem quite surprised." Otto sized up the teenage boy staring at him with a look of astonishment. Having lived for so long, he could easily read a message from this boy's eyes.
He knew him.
"My name is Otto Apocalypse." Otto didn't point it out or expose it. Still acting as if it were their first meeting, with slight arrogance yet tinged with politeness, he introduced himself: "I am the dean of students at St. Freya Academy, and also one of its founders."
"At the same time, I am also the father of the Principal, Theresa."
"My name is Li Pu." Li Pu quickly put away his look of astonishment and feigned ignorance as he said: "I never imagined you were the dean of students."
"This... I... um... I'm a bit embarrassed, doing just this tiny little thing actually made you come over personally."
"I'm really a bit flattered!"
This... Otto is the dean of students at St. Freya? That's not right, is it?
Li Pu did not remember any such plot in the original Honkai story, but then he thought about it. St. Freya didn't even exist in Changkong City yet! Honkai hadn't even broken out here yet.
This world was not orthodox Honkai Impact 3rd, so anything was possible.
"This is no small matter." Otto also carefully sized up the person in front of him.
Judging by his facial features and physique, he was at most early eighteen. Calculated carefully, he should be over sixteen and under seventeen years old.
Young, and not a particularly steady person either. Just that brief moment ago was enough to show that his composure was still insufficient, and even now, trying to conceal it didn't show much improvement.
His acting skills were truly clumsy to the extreme.
However!
He indeed has a tiny bit of little sense of justice, and also has a bit of selfishness.
A person like this, perhaps... perhaps...
Can be used to create a Herrscher!
Chapter 8: Bonus, Banner, and Publicity
Nothing happened, no so-called confrontation, and no being neither humble nor overbearing.
It was just going through the motions, speaking some high-sounding and polite pleasantries.
Li Pu did not rack his brains to confront Otto, there was no parrying blows or clever Tai Chi rhetoric. His answers only needed to be "Mm-hmm," "Ah-ah," and "Serving the students"—that was enough.
Nor did Otto make any beating around the bush, nonchalant, or traceless inquiries. The words he spoke only needed to be "Thank you for all you have done," "Praise your self-sacrificing virtue," and "Affirm your righteous act"—that was enough as well.
A brief conversation finished in under five minutes.
Li Pu obtained something he wanted, but which the system hadn't given him.
A bonus of two hundred thousand!
This was the most important thing. For Li Pu's righteous act, Otto was also very generous in issuing him a bonus of two hundred thousand, a commendatory banner, and of course, school-wide publicity as an outstanding employee.
The commendatory banner and school-wide publicity—things like the honor roll and outstanding employee—carried a very Chinese style.
Li Pu didn't care about that at all.
What he truly cared about was that two hundred thousand bonus!
He had already been shameless enough to want to advance his salary right upon joining the job, and this two hundred thousand came as timely as charcoal in snowy weather! With this two hundred thousand, he could buy a car...
No, this month, next month, and the month after next, he wouldn't have to eat dirt!
"I will definitely keep up the good work." Li Pu instantly sprang up, grabbed Otto's hand, shook it vigorously, and said, "I'll strive to become the school's most outstanding employee."
"Mm, very good. I am very glad you have this idea of working hard."
Otto struggled to pull his hand back, slightly trembling as he took out a handkerchief and wiped his hand, saying: "Then Mr. Li Pu, you may go to work. Regarding this matter, someone from the school's publicity department will coordinate with you."
"I hope next month I can still see your photo on the advanced employee board."
"You may go to work."
"Understood." Humming a cheerful little tune, Li Pu almost broke out into a swaggering gait as he dashed out of the infirmary door and quickly vanished into the hallway.
The smile on Otto's face vanished the instant Li Pu left. He looked at the red marks on his hand left behind by being grabbed.
"How long has it been since I felt this kind of pain..."
Otto's hand shook slightly. It hurt fiercely from being grabbed, and he had almost failed to pull it out. It felt as if it had been clamped by pliers, leaving absolutely no room for movement.
His arm had been passively shaken about by the teenage boy named Li Pu.
When he finally managed to pull it out, his hand was already aching to the point of feeling almost paralyzed.
"This grip strength is truly not small." Otto seemed to have perceived something as he said: "Just as I anticipated, this teenager is no ordinary person."
Looking like a not particularly robust youth, yet possessing completely unimaginable strength, he was definitely much stronger than he had imagined.
Even stronger than the youth himself imagined.
"Did the Lord Overseer discover something?" An angel in white walked in, not seeming particularly concerned yet appearing somewhat concerned as she asked.
"Have you already perceived his true intent?"
"It's just money." Otto rubbed his hand and said: "Easier to understand than I imagined."
"One might even say very straightforward."
Before you continue